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Morning Wrap: Thousands Hop On Tribal Bus; Better Skiing Ahead

In the news today: Free tribal busses are standing room only in Umatilla County, improvements are coming to Mt. Ashland skiing, and medieval desserts raise money in Astoria.

A free service started by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation began a decade ago. Now some of the most popular routes are standing room only and there’s a push to expand into Western Umatilla County, the East Oregonian newspaper reports. In October, nearly 9,000 people rode the seven tribal transit routes.

The route is so popular that riders often stand, and the tribes are looking into either buying bigger vehicles or adding more buses to the route.

The Mt. Ashland ski resort is considering a small $250,000 expansion. The resort would add about 90 parking spaces, widen runs and make beginner runs less steep. According to the Medford Mail Tribune, resort officials want to complete the work by spring. A preliminary “phase 1” plan was presented to Ashland city councilmembers this week.

A volunteer for the Clatsop Historical Society is cranking out dozens of plum puddings for the group’s annual fundraiser in Astoria. Rae Goforth has been making the dessert for about 25 years. The puddings take about three hours to prepare. Plum pudding had its origins in Medievel England, but have no plums. Pre-Victorians used the word plum for what we’d call raisins, the Daily Astorian reported.